


Steven and Connie's Mission to Korea

by Chromite



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Corrupted Gem, Pink Diamond's Palanquin, Set after the events of Change Your Mind, korea - Freeform, mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 17:38:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19045198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: A dangerous corrupted gem has appeared in Korea around Pink Diamond's ruined Palanquin. It's up to Steven and Connie to catch it and send it back to the temple for healing. But, sometimes missions don't go according to plan.





	Steven and Connie's Mission to Korea

>A few months had passed since Steven had gone to Homeworld to get White Diamond's help with healing the corruptions. New warp pads had been built and old ones repaired, to seek out any remaining corruptions swiftly so they could be healed. Connie and Steven had been sent on a routine gem mission. A new corruption had emerged in Korea, somewhere in the area of Pink Diamond's palanquin.  
>Steven looked wistfully upon the ruins of his mother's palanquin for a moment before Connie placed a small hand upon his shoulders, bringing his mind back to the task at hand. They had a gem to save.  
>The pair proceeded down the hill the palanquin sat upon, towards where the fence had stood. A section was missing from it, jagged metal around a large hole, the ground itself missing dirt, no signs of digging anywhere.  
>Steven summoned his shield warily. "Connie, I think we're dealing with a centipeetle, or something else that can dissolve things. We need to be careful."  
>Connie nodded her head and drew the sword Bismuth had given her, the pink blade gleaming in the sunlight. The pair advanced through the large hole in the fence and down the hill towards the road.  
>The road itself had a few smaller holes in it, no traffic was running along it. Connie and Steven held hands as the crossed the ruined road into the dense trees that rested across, a few of them cracked and toppled over, creating a path for the pair to follow.  
>As the pair followed the trail, they stayed alert. Every slight rustle of the leaves or snap of a twig caused them to glance in that direction. There was no telling where the corruption was now or what angle it could come from.  
>The pair came to a stop as the path ahead of them came to an end, trees were no longer cracked and knocked over. A chill went through both of their bodies, the end of the path could only mean one thing: The corruption they were hunting was close.  
>The pair let go of each other's hand and prepared themselves, easing towards the end of the broken tree path cautiously.  
>A large shape came crashing through the trees, separating Steven and Connie as a tree trunk crashed between them. Connie gritted her teeth as she stared at the creature before her, its red body thick and muscular, four large legs ending in thick black hooves. Horns sprouted on both sides of its head and from its nose, a mix between rhino and bull. Steam vented from it's nostrils as it huffed, scorching the grass under it. Its long red tail was tipped in spikes. A red gem on its back glinted in the sunlight.  
>"Steven, I could use you over here!"  
>"I'm coming Connie, hold on!" Steven shouted as he leapt up in the air to get over the fallen tree as fast as possible.  
>It wouldn't be fast enough. With a loud roar, the creature charged towards Connie, its body bursting into flames, the ground underneath it breaking down and burning to ash. Connie did her best to dodge, jumping out of the way. The creature was faster, its mouth opening up, flames billowing out of its maw, engulfing Connie's left arm.  
>She shrieked in pain as she dropped her sword and fell into the treeline, ash falling from where her left arm once was. She clutched the cauterized stump, tears flowing down her face, her whole body shaking.  
>"Connie, NO!" Steven shouted as his descent sped up, creating a small indentation in the ground where he landed. Anger boiled within him, how dare this THING hurt his friend! His eyes glowed as he tossed his shield, a whizzing sound echoing around them as the shield cut through the corruption's legs, causing its body to fall to the ground with a thud. Steven summoned another shield, his teeth gritted in anger. He yelled out before he used it to slice the corruption it two, narrowly avoiding the gem on its back. The monster shuddered before poofing, the gem clanking down to the ground.  
>Steven picked it up and looked at the round shape and the factets, a Ruby. He hesitated for a moment, the temptation to crush it in his hands ran through his mind. He heard sniffling in the distance, snapping him out of the thought. He bubbled the gem and sent it off to the temple, then rushed towards where Connie had landed.  
>He walked a short ways into the treeline to find his friend clutching where her left arm had been. Tears welled up in his eyes as he rushed over to her and held her close.  
>"Connie.....I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have had my bubble up, I should have, should have......"  
>Connie's right arm shook as she removed it from her shoulder and placed it gently upon his face, smearing ash along his face. "D-don't blame y-yourself, w-we didn't k-know what w-we were dealing with."  
>Tears fell from Steven's eyes onto Connie's still shaking body. He licked his left hand and placed it on the stump of her left shoulder for good measure. Her entire body glowed for a moment before the glow receded. Her body had stopped shaking, but her arm was still gone.  
>Both eyed the spot, waiting, hoping for a delayed regeneration. After ten minutes, Connie shook her head. "Steven....it's not going to work. M-my are is.....really gone, isn't it?"  
>"No! There has to be something I can do to fix this!" Steven licked his hand and placed it on the stump again desperately, focusing his energy, grunting as he tried to will the arm back.  
>"Please, stop Steven. It's.....not going to come back. I'm going to call my mom and tell her to meet me at the temple. She'll know how to.....treat it properly and make sure it's not infected."  
>Steven hesitated before helping his friend to her feet. Her body shook in protest as she stood, still weak from what had happened. She fumbled with the phone in her left pocket for a moment before she fished it out, flipping it open and using the speed dial feature to call her mom up.  
>"Mom, it's me......"  
>"Connie! Oh, it's great to hear your voice, did your mission go well? You sound tired."  
>"Mom......meet me at the temple. I need you to get there as fast as you can."  
>Priyanka shuddered at the dejected tone of her daughter's voice. "Connie.....whatever's happened, it'll be okay. I'll see you soon."  
>Meanwhile, Steven had made his own call.  
>"Steven! I'm surprised you called me, the great and lovable Peridot, while on a mission! Do you need my superior intellect to solve a problem?"  
>"In a sense. Peridot, I need you to get to the temple. Connie got hurt on a mission, my healing powers can't restore her fully. I want your opinion about something."  
>Peridot's face fell on the other end of the line. "Sounds serious, is she stable?"  
>Steven looked over to Connie, her legs still shaking a bit as she walked. "She's stable, she's up and walking around. I don't know if she'll stay that way though."  
>"I....I understand Steven. I'll be there as soon as I can."  
>"Thanks Peridot, this means a lot to me. I'll see you there."  
>"See you soon Steven. Peridot out."  
>Steven put his phone in his pocket and rushed over to Connie, supporting her body with his, helping her walk down the path. They slowly made their way back towards the edge of the forest, across the hill, and to the warp pad over the course of a half hour. The pair warped to the beach house, Connie hoping her mom could help, Steven hoping Peridot could come up with a solution.  
>When the pair arrived in the beach house, Priyanka and Peridot were both already there, sitting on the couch. The worried expression on Priyanka's face told the pair that she knew something serious was happening.  
>A chill went through Priyanka's body as her stomach twisted at the sight of her young daughter, standing on the warp pad, missing an arm. "CONNIE!?" The mother shouted her daughter's name in confusion as she leapt off the couch and rushed over to her.  
>Her surgical fingers ran along the edges of the wound, her stomach twisting further.as she examined it. Tears ran down Priyanka's face as she finished, pulling her daughter into a hug. "Oh Connie, my sweet baby girl! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have been with you, I should have been there to protect you."  
>Connie wrapped her right arm around her mother. "Mom.....it'll be okay. You couldn't have stopped this, you might have been hurt worse if you had been there."  
>Priyanka's eyes narrowed as her initial freaking out gave way to motherly protection. "You're taking a break from missions, at least until me and your father can train and have one of us there with you for a while." She sighed before she continued. "We'll......get you a prosthetic arm, a nice one. I promise Connie, you won't be slowed down by this."  
>Peridot had wandered closer in her curiosity to eye the wound closer herself. "Hmm, Steven, your healing spit, you tried to regrow her arm, correct?"  
>The three humans eyed Peridot, Priyanka's eyes wide in shock. There was a brief moment of silence before Steven spoke up. "Yeah......I couldn't bring her arm back, there was nothing to reattach and my healing powers can't regrow limbs." Steven looked over to Connie's mother. "I'm so sorry Doctor Maheswaran, I let Connie down when she needed me the most."  
>"Don't be so hasty Steven, there may yet be hope!" Peridot spoke in an excited tone.  
>Priyanka looked down at the green gem fidgeting excitedly. "What do you mean, there's hope?"  
>"You mentioned a prosthetic, right? I could whip one up for your daughter, connect it to her nerves, and Steven could apply his spit to where it connects! If my hypothesis is right, Connie should be able to function better than before!"  
>Connie and Steven both looked towards Peridot and then towards Priyanka. Connie spoke up. "Mom, please, let's try Peridot's idea."  
>Priyanka hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. She looked at the green gem once more. "How long would it take to make the prosthetic you had in mind?"  
>Peridot smiled excitedly. "With parts from old gem tech and the scraps Amethyst gave me recently, I estimate a two hour time frame until completion. The attachment of the arm to the subject and the integration could take longer."  
>"Okay, you've got one chance, Peridot was it? If I don't like the results, we're getting Connie a human prosthetic."  
>Peridot shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough. The three of you should travel down the beach to my new barn house when the allotted time has passed. Nyehehehe, the marvels of technology I can pour into this project, it'll be the envy of humans everywhere!"  
>Peridot left the beach house excitedly, leaving Priyanka, Connie, and Steven with two hours to pass.  
>"So.......board game?" Steven shrugged his shoulders as he suggested the idea to the group.  
>"I suppose it's better than sitting in silence." Priyanka made her way over to the couch and sat down. Connie took a seat next to her mother, and Steven placed a pillow on the floor to sit upon.  
\-------  
>Two hours and several quick board game rounds later, Steven, Priyanka, and Connie walked down the beach together, The pair spotted a large structure in the distance, Connie and Steven had seen it before, but Priyanka gaped at the sight.  
>The building was a bright green. Metal silos stuck out of the wall on the right and left sides. Scraps of metal were attached and jutting out all over the building. The ground the building sat on and a few yards around it had been dug out, the sand replaced by rich soil. Flowers and crops were growing in random spots around the structure.  
>The three walked up to the large bright green barn door. Steven knocked on it and shouted out. "Peridot, are you in there? It's been two hours, we've come for the prosthetic!"  
>A quiet voice spoke within. "Steven? Come in, the door's not blocked!"  
>The door creaked as Steven pulled it open, the trio proceeding inside. The interior was well organized, tables and chairs tucked under them on each wall, piles of parts neatly organized and strewn across the room. Peridot sat at the far wall, hunched over. She glanced over her shoulder briefly before turning her attention back towards the table. "Hold your stars, I've nearly completed this technological masterpiece!"  
>A few sparks flew as the trio heard a blowtorch fire up. Priyanka was beginning to worry about how good an idea this really was.  
>Peridot turned back around, a wide smile on her face. In her green hands sat a small pink arm. "Behold, the fruits of my technological genius and engineering!"  
>Connie's and Steven's eyes shined with excitement as they saw the arm. Priyanka looked at it skeptically. "So, what's so great about it? What can it do that a normal prosthetic couldn't do for my daughter?"  
>"Well for starters it can hack into any piece of Earth technology with connections at the fingertips." Peridot flipped the tips of the fingers up, revealing various connections. "It's also made out of the material gem ships are made from, making it as sturdy as it can be. I've also added a hand blaster in the palm, which will allow your daughter to fight without a weapon."  
>Priyanka's face went pale at hearing that. "You gave her a hand canon?!"  
>Steven's eyes lit up more. "Connie's getting a hand cannon!"  
>"Wow, a hand cannon, cool!" A wide smile crossed Connie's face as she heard the news.  
>Peridot beamed proudly. "That's not the coolest part though! The coolest part is the built in force field generator! When all else fails, Connie can hide behind her own personal protection bubble! It can also be used to create a solid sheet in front of her, if insufficient time is available for the projection of the full field. Brilliant right? You may now praise me!"  
>Connie looked towards her mother with pleading eyes. "Mom, please, let me have it! You can't argue with the safety feature, and I promise not to use the hand blaster unless I need to!"  
>Priyanka hesitated for a moment before she let out a sigh. "Alright, we'll try it. But I swear, if you get hurt using it, it's getting removed young lady!"  
>Connie flinched before nodding her head. "That's fair enough."  
>Peridot bounced excitedly. "Then it's settled! Steven, please position yourself next to Connie and help me attach the arm!"  
>Steven moved over towards Connie, his legs shaking slightly from excitement. He gently held the hand and arm of the prosthetic in place as Peridot worked to attach it to Connie's shoulder.  
>Connie winced in pain as she felt the pinch from the arm being connected at her shoulder, a dull feeling gradually beginning to register in the arm as further connections were made.  
>After a few minutes Peridot stepped away, the pink arm fully attached to Connie's left side. "Okay Steven, lick your hand and touch the shoulder, and the arm should fully integrate with Connie!"  
>Steven licked his right palm and placed it on Connie's shoulder, his left hand still holding onto the arm for good measure. His eyes widened as the place where the arm and metal met began to glow.  
>Steven stepped back as skin started to grow down the arm, covering the exterior of the arm, stopping at the fingertips and around the palm.  
>Connie stared at her arm for a moment before she tried to move it. The fingers on her new arm wiggled slowly at first, then picked up speed as the feeling within her new extremities became stronger. She could feel the entire arm as if it were her own natural limb.  
>"Wow, this is awesome! It feels so natural! Thanks Peridot!"  
>"I'm glad my craftsmanship is appreciated. There's only one thing you should know now. You'll have to come back as your body grows so I can add more material to it, to allow the limb to "grow" as you do."  
>"That's fine, it shouldn't be a problem, right mom?"  
>Priyanka hesitated once more. "We'll see how this works out first. If it's still working in a year, we'll come get it adjusted."  
>"Connie, do you realize what this means? You're a cyborg now, kind of like Dogcopter!"  
>Connie's eyes widened as she realized Steven was right. She looked at her arm and imagined all the uses she could get out of it.  
>"Alright, that's enough for one day. We're going to be watching you closely for the next month Connie, to make sure nothing goes wrong with this."  
>Steven smiled. "Don't worry Connie, Doctor Maheswaran, everything will be fine. Oh, and I'll talk to Pearl about getting you and Mr. Maheswaran the combat lessons with Pearl, so you can go with Connie on missions like you wanted!"  
>Priyanka smiled at the young boy. "I'll leave the arrangements to you, call me when you have a schedule worked out."  
>Peridot cleared her throat. "If you're all done marveling at my work, could you vacate the premise? Working on the arm gave me some ideas for other projects, I would like to get to them."  
>"Aww, I kinda want to watch! But if it'll help, we'll get out of your way. Thanks again Peridot!" Steven waved at the green inventor as the three humans left her dwelling. Priynaka took Connie home for some rest, while Steven skipped to the temple happily to arrange lessons for the Maheswarans. He was glad a bad situation had turned into a blessing for Connie.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story sort of came about from me wondering what would happen if Connie lost an arm. If the arm existed, Steven should be able to reattach it, but what if it didn't? Thus this was born, but I can't leave someone missing an arm, so Connie ends up with a cool piece of gem tech to replace it.


End file.
